This year has brought a lot of changes, and one of these is how we gather. For many Pagans, spending time with other Pagans is a huge part of their path. It brings a sense of community, of being with people who understand us and who accept what we do. Even if our individual practices differ, we can gather together and find ways to celebrate or just talk shop.
With the changes in how we gather comes a lot of concerns for many people. I think most of the Pagans I know care very deeply for others, and want to do what they can to protect and take care of everyone, but especially the most vulnerable. I know so many Pagans who have always taken special care to make sure people with different needs are seen to at rituals and even just social gatherings, whether that means making sure there are always places to sit, being mindful of smoking, making sure dietary restrictions are taken care of or even being there when someone is overwhelmed or needs a minute.
Even though many Pagan groups aren't following the traditional coven structure, many areas have regular meetups and the Sabbats are often times of gathering and celebration. For many solitary Pagans, it might be the only times they work with or even see others face to face. And not being able to do that freely can turn what should be happy points on the wheel of the year into times of disappointment and longing.
Of course, there are many ways that groups can navigate these troubled waters, by hosting events outside, by making sure precautions are in place, but that also may mean that alterations might need to be made to the rituals themselves.
Food and drink come immediately to mind. Our group doesn't typically include shared food or drink as a part of the ritual itself, we don't pass a cup or plate around, but our gatherings almost always feature a potluck, shared food and fellowship before and after the ritual itself. This isn't really something that many people are comfortable with right now, and this does change a huge aspect of how we socialize!
But there are still ways to make things fun, whether you go towards a more pre-packaged snack-sized food options or go towards personal potluck (where everyone just brings food for themselves, but you still get to eat and talk with each other).
I also think that this year will be a life-defining event for anyone old enough to remember it through adulthood. It's one of those times that make us think about everything else in life, including our spiritual life and practices. We are pushing a year now, where things have been different, and I am very interested to see how people's practices adjust as we move forward.
For some, this year will be an outlier, it will be a temporary time 'when everything was crazy', but when things get back to 'normal' in the future, they will go back to doing things the way they always have. For others, this time will be a pivot, and it will be the yardstick with which they measure future years. When we think of the cycle of the year, this year will stand out, because so much is completely foreign to the way we normally do things.
I think that when we are taken out of our normal routines, we tend to want to cling to anything familiar. We may be tempted to just keep trying to recognize the wheel in the way we always have, but I think there is great value in really looking to see how the events of the day change how we relate to these phases of the year.
Dramatic situations often make us not only highly grateful for what we do have, but also create in us a deep longing for what we don't have. The balance is in honoring both. It is tricky, and sometimes you have to specifically lay out time to mourn the losses of what you don't have.
I also think there is great value in looking back, and seeing how different things are from where we thought we'd be. Many of us look at the year as a cycle of manifestation. We may choose something specific to work on calling into our life, or we may just be aware of how currents in our personal life mimic the currents of the natural cycle. Either way, as we approach the end of this year's cycle, we become highly aware of how much change has happened.
There are things that, at the start of the year, we were so unused to. People swore that certain things would never happen...and then they did. The thing is, when stuff like this happens, you adjust, and over time, it becomes acceptable. In my town, even though they were recommended (and non-officially 'required') since the start, it took a long time for people to actually wear them. It was several waves of enforcement, and quite a few incidents of lash backs. I still see a few people who aren't wearing masks in public, but the vast majority now are, at least in the places where they are required.
Part of my own taking count of this year will be to acknowledge the things that I've become accustomed to. It will be looking back and seeing the journey this year has taken me on. It is a very different accounting that I am used to, in some ways it is much more external, but in other ways it is highly internal.
We don't know what the next year will bring, but it's worth considering that we might not be through the woods. I think it's also a worthy point of thought to look at how the changes we have adapted to might benefit us even after the current situation has cleared up. Sometimes, dramatic situations show us that we can do better, even during the good times.
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